1. Southeastern Catfish Club tournaments are team events.  Each team consists of members aboard a single boat.  There is no limit to the number of team members a boat can have during a single tournament.  The points system as it relates to team members will be described in the section below.
2. A membership fee of $20 will be required for each angler above 18 year of age and is good for one (1) season.
3. No one is allowed on tournament waters eight (8) hours prior to tournament start time except to catch bait with a cast net or ultra light tackle.
4. Chumming prior to a tournament or fishing in a known baited or chummed hole of strictly prohibited.
5. A captains meeting may be called prior to start of the tournament if required.
6. Livewells, bait tanks, and coolers will be checked at signup.  Failure to comply will result in disqualification from the tournament.
7. Teams must compete from a boat.  If a team member must exit the boat during tournaments hours for any reason, fishing must be suspended.
8. All boats will leave the launch site or sites at the designated blast-off time. No saving of spots will be allowed. Trailering to other boat ramps will only be allowed during tournaments held on Santee Cooper or deemed by the tournament directors prior to the tournament start in case of extreme circumstances.
9. Participants must remain at least 150 feet away from another participant’s boat during tournament hours unless providing distress assistance. In such cases of providing distress assistance, the tournament directors must be contacted immediately.
10. A maximum of ten (10) rods per boat may be used at one time.
11. All fish must be caught on rod and reel.  No catfish may be taken by jugs, limb-lines, or trotlines.
12. Any commercial or natural bait will be allowed.  The use of natural bait must comply with state and local fishing regulations.
13. The use of stringers, ropes, or bags for keeping catfish alive is strictly prohibited.  No exceptions.  No fish that has been stringered will be weighed.  All fish caught must be kept in the team’s livewell, shall only be transferred from the livewell into the totes provided by the tournament directors, and taken directly to the weigh-in scales. The team’s livewell must be equipped with a functional aeration system that includes components such as fresh water pumps, re-circulation pumps, bubblers, agitators, or an oxygen system.
14. All boats must be in the weigh-in line thirty (30) minutes after the tournament end time.
15. The following species of catfish may be weighed; blue, channel, flathead, white, or bullhead.
16. A team limit of three (3) fish per boat must be weighed in alive on Lake Wateree and Fishing Creek.  Lake Wylie will have a 2-fish weigh-in.
17. Due to the new North Carolina blue catfish state law effective August 1st, 2016, tournaments on Lake Wylie will have blue catfish restrictions.  Teams with 2 or more anglers can weigh-in 2 blues over 32 inches. Single man teams can only weigh-in 1 blue over 32 inches.  This rule does not apply to flatheads or channels.
18. Anyone caught or seen discarding expired fish at the launch or weigh-in site will be disqualified from the tournament and suspended for one (1) year from club events on the 1st offense.  2nd offense will result in permanent ban from Southeastern Catfish Club events.
19. Club members are required to follow Catch, Photo, Release (CPR) of trophy fish outside of club events.  Tournament directors have the discretion to ban any club member from participation in club events if a member does not follow CPR.
20. Only containers and totes provided by the Southeastern Catfish Club at the weigh-in may be used to transport catfish from the livewell to the scales.  No nets, coolers, bags, or buckets are allowed.
21. In case of a tie for total weight at a tournament, the team with the biggest fish will earn the higher place.  If a tie remains, the pot will be split evenly.
22. Any protest must be submitted in writing within fifteen (15) minutes of the announcement of the final results.  The submission must include the team and the rule that was broken.  Rulings will be made by the Southeastern Catfish Club directors, and their decisions are final.
23. In case of extreme weather conditions, the Southeastern Catfish Club reserves the right to postpone or cancel the event.
24. Teams must comply with all local and state fishing and boating regulations.  Use of PFDs and kill-switches are strongly encouraged by all competitors.  Proper fishing and boating licenses are the responsibility of tournament participants.
25. The Southeastern Catfish Club, its directors, or entrants are not and will not be responsible for any accidents or injuries at any Southeastern Catfish Club tournament or event. Each entrant is required to sign the WAIVER, RELEASE OF LIABILITY, AND ASSUMPTION OF THE RISK AGREEMENT prior to participating in any club event. Signing and submitting the agreement will be good for one (1) season. The official agreement can be found and downloaded here.
26. By participating in tournaments and events, you agree to have your name and photo on our website or other publications and media.
27. Team may be required to take a polygraph test before the tournament results are final.  Any team having a member who fails or refuses to take a polygraph test or whose condition does not permit administration of a test due to the use alcohol or drugs will be disqualified from the tournament.  Tournament directors have the authority to select any number of tournaments during the season to conduct a polygraph.  The tournament directors will allocate $400 from the tournament entry fees to pay for the polygraph tests.
28. Tournament registration will begin at 4am and end at 6:30am.
29. Tournament blast-off will be based on flights of 15 teams decided by a random draw during registration. See blast-off section for additional details.

The season’s points championship race will be determined by the total points accumulated per team throughout the year.  A team can be created at any point during the season.  A team must create a unique team name, be limited to a maximum of four (4) core members, and designate a captain.  Any core team member can participant in a tournament and score points for their team.  Additional, non-core team members can be added to the team throughout the year.  An angler can fish with another team, but no points will be awarded to the team for that angler.

Points will be rewarded to teams based on finishing position by total weight and are awarded to each team that enters a tournament and weighs in at least one fish.  The points system is based on a 100-point scale with a 2-point differential between each place through the top 50. Each team outside the top 50 will receive 1 point. 

Bonus Points:

– 1st place team will receive an additional 5 bonus points for winning the tournament.
– Team with the Big Fish of the Tournament will receive 5 bonus points.
– Team with the 2nd Big Fish of the Tournament will receive 2 bonus points.

The breakdown for each tournament by finishing position are: